JOHN MARK MCMILLAN is something of an anomaly: an artist and Platinum-selling songwriter bending genres and defying categorization by carving out his own unique and independent path. With an ear for melody and a poet's eye for metaphor, no topic has been off-limits. While each of his albums over the past decade have continued to explore new territory, it's McMillan's ability to give lyric and language to the human experience that many consider his greatest gift. Mercury & Lightning, the latest offering from McMillan, reminds us why we love great songwriters; The great ones find a way to put new words to private musings and desperate feelings until the songs themselves begin to live in our bones.

McMillan is no stranger to success with nearly half a million monthly listeners on Spotify and 40 million Spotify streams, but he won't let those things define him. John Mark says he's learned a lot about himself since his previous studio album Borderland, which held a Top 15 spot on the iTunes Albums chart and No. 41 on Billboard's Top 200. When talking about his life and career McMillan says, "I've found that there's a profound restlessness in the gap between the ideals of youth and the realities of adulthood - even when, especially when, you get what you wanted."

In 2015, McMillan, who has made a career of rejecting easy categorization and challenging expectations, co-founded the independent record label Lionhawk Records with his manager Josh Lujan Loveless. Mercury & Lightning stands to be the third album release from Lionhawk Records with additional releases in the works.

An artist worth your attention| Posted January 27, 2018
Overall, John Mark Mcmillan provides a new an interesting taste to the genre of music so often content with complicity and sameness with its sound. Through his thought provoking lyrics, be ready to be challenged.